Spey and Switch reels are designed to hold larger diameter fly lines called heads, than single hand fly lines.

Tom Larimer, G.Loomis Fly Fishing National Sales Manager and Airflo Spey line designer says, " The hardest part about reels is that too many customers want to use too small of a reel."

What Tom was trying to say is this, the fly line associated with Spey and Switch fishing is much bulkier in diameter. Because of their increased bulk they take up more space on a fly reel which can decrease the amount of backing available. This is a bad thing when fighting these incredible strong and large fish normally targeted with this style of fly fishing.

Some reels are specifically designed for the spey world, such as the Lamson Arx, Nautilus NV Spey, Hardy Duchess, etc. Other reels are single hand fly reels that can be used for spey work, like the Bauer RX Classic, Galvan Grip and Cheeky Mojo’s [Cheeky now has a dedicated Spey reel].

If you decide to use a single hand reel, look at going up at least 2 sizes in that reel to accommodate the fly line head, shooting/running line and backing. IE If you have a 6 wt rod, then start with an 8 weight reel size as a starting point. Most reels list what single hand fly lines they can handle.

Drag system or Click and Pawl? We get this question alot and there is not a definitive answer on which is best. What I will say is the click and pawl is considered by many as a purest aspect of the sport and puts more pressure on the fisherman as you use your reeling hand to put pressure on areas of the spool to create friction [drag] to slow the fish down. This can take a lot of practice to get it right. The drag system takes that aspect of the fight out of the equation as the reel drag is set and most of the time you never touch it again. You just worry about the rod position and reeling in the fly line.

If you have questions or concerns that you are not choosing the right size reel, send us an Email or call us at 541-598-7322 before you buy. We will be happy to walk you through the process and understand the transition from single hand fly fishing to Spey or Switch can be confusing.